Newcastle United Jets Football Club was established in Newcastle, New South Wales back in 2000. Originally known as Newcastle United, the team adopted the 'Jets' moniker in 2005 in order to avoid confusion with the football club from England operating under the same name. Today, they are typically known simply as the Newcastle Jets. Their biggest rivals are the Central Coast Mariners, with whom they contest the F3 Derby. A secondary rivalry exists with Sydney FC.

The club began play in the Australian National Soccer League and achieved moderate success, notably finishing in 2nd place in the league in 2001-02. Then, in 2005-06, the Jets competed in the first ever A-League season, ending the league campaign in 4th place. In 2010, with the club suffering serious financial problems, mining magnate Nathan Tinkler took ownership of the team, signing an agreement until 2020.

To date, the Jets have had one taste of major success, which came during the 2007-08 season. After finishing in 2nd place in the regular season, the club advanced to the Finals Series, where they saw off Queensland Roar to reach the Grand Final. In the final, they overcame their rivals, the Central Coast Mariners 1-0 to claim their first A-League championship. In 2009, the Jets made their first ever appearance in the AFC Champions League and eventually reached the last 16 stage of the competition.

Joel Griffiths was the side's top scorer during their title winning campaign of 2007-08. Other notable former players include Francis Jeffers, Mario Jardel, Jade North, Nick Carle and Michael Bridges. In 2012, former England international striker Emile Heskey joined as the team's marquee player.

The Jets play home games at Newcastle International Sports Centre, which also goes by the name Hunter Stadium. The venue opened in 1970, is owned by the New South Wales government and is currently able to hold up to 33,000 supporters. It is also used by the Newcastle Knights rugby league team.